According to carbon accounting consultancy Greenly, TikTok’s carbon footprint is likely larger than that of Greece. Greenly’s investigation (via The Guardian) estimates that TikTok’s 2023 emissions in the UK, US, and France amount to 7.6 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). This is larger than the emissions of both X and Snapchat in the same regions.
Greenly also found that TikTok’s carbon footprint was slightly larger than Instagram, despite the app having half of Instagram’s user base. The Guardian claims that TikTok’s global carbon footprint is probably around 50 million metric tonnes of CO2e. By comparison, Greece’s annual emissions are 51.67 million metric tonnes.
TikTok’s carbon footprint revealed
In terms of emissions per user, TikTok users purportedly generate an average of 48.49kg of CO2e a year. This, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, equates to driving 123 miles in a gasoline car. By comparison, YouTube racks up 40.17kg per year, while Instagram generates 32.52kg.
According to The Guardian, TikTok’s high carbon levels are due to the “unique addictiveness” of the platform.
As Alexis Normand, the chief executive of Greenly tells the outlet, “The whole algorithm is built around the massification of videos. Addictiveness also has consequences in terms of incentivizing people to generate more and more [of a carbon] footprint on an individual basis.”
